Week 3: Role of Media and Technology, Section 2

Brief snapshot of Political Communication

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The Iowa Presidential Caucuses are an excellent example of the functions and complexities of the political communications processes.

There is a wide body of research on the impact of the media on democracy and specifically on the election process.

One concern is that citizens and especially voters no longer make intelligent and individual decisions when they interact with and participate in the political process. Because the media has become a “gatekeeper” who shapes and perhaps even “misshapes” or misrepresents political reality. There has also been a theory that the media discourage people and alienate them, thus suppressing participation.

The media has also now become the national “agenda setter” which elevates certain issues and processes to great visibility. That can be good but it also means that issues neglected by the media do not make it to the presidential candidate discussions. Moreover, the media is now so specific and specialized that instead of “broadcasting”, it often “narrowcasts” thus enveloping people in themes and information that reinforces their existing views and positions.

Clearly mass media, especially television, changed how people receive and digest political information. The Iowa Caucuses themselves have altered presidential candidate selection because this event attracts such a massive amount of media coverage and it does so very early in the campaign season. The caucuses have, of course been called primarily a “media event” since it is the coverage of the caucus night results that carries the enormous punch and can make or break presidential contenders.

On the other hand one can argue that the proliferation of very diverse communication channels – TV networks, cable, blogs, newspapers, Twitter, Facebook, radio – actually gives citizens valuable choices and alternatives. The Iowa Caucuses have now become a focus of this flurry of media communication and actually may make presidential candidate preferences more visible, more approachable, more fun, and therefore engage more people in the process.

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 Test yourself on Political Communication

Videos

• Interview with Dr. Dianne Bystrom, Director, Catt Center for Women and Politics, Iowa State University
• Interview with Dr. Raluca Cozma, Associate Professor, Iowa State University